Strap for a heart stimulator

ABSTRACT

A SUPPORTING STRAP OF A SYNTHETIC RESIN FOR FASTENING AN OSCILLATING HEART STIMULATOR IN THE HUMAN BODY, SAID STRAP SURROUNDING THE STIMULATOR AND BEING PROVIDED WITH PROLONGATIONS, WHICH ARE DIVIDED AND EXTEND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, EACH PAIR OF PROLONGATIONS HAVING THEIR FREE ENDS INTERCONNECTED FOR BEING FASTENED TO A STATIONARY ORGAN AND AN ORGAN MOVING RHYTHMICALLY WITH THE HEART-BEAT RESPECTIVELY.

March 23, 1971 M. J. AUPHAN 3,572,345

STRAP FOR A HEART STIMULA'TOR Filed Jan. 2'7, 1969 INVENTOR.

BY MCHE'L J. AUP'HAN M 265 N T United States Patent 3,572,345 STRAP FOR A HEART STIMULATOR Michel Joseph Anphan, Neuilly, France, assignor to U.S. Philips Corporation, New York, N.Y. Filed Jan. 27, 1969, Ser. No. 794,065 Claims priority, applicatilon France, Feb. 28, 1968,

14 ,59 Int. Cl. A61h 31/00; A6ln 1/36 US. Cl. 128-418 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a supporting strap for an oscillating heart stimulator of the kind in which electrical pulses are produced by means of an electro-dynamic magnet system comprising an oscillating member as described in US. Pat. No. 3,486,506, and pending application 742,880, filed July 5, 1968.

Such a stimulator is arranged inside the human body in the proximity of the cardiac muscle and connected therewith. Provisions are made for the movements of the cardiac muscle to be transferred to the cabinet of the stimulator, which thus performs a rotational movement. Such a stimulator is operative as the result of a rotary movement during each heartbeat.

It is not a simple operation to arrange the heart stimulator in a correct manner and to establish the desired connections. Excessively long connections with internal organs, in proper movement, do not insure that the required rotary movement will be sufiiciently constant for reliable operation of the electro-dynamic system, whereas short connections are likely to break off soon.

An object of the invention is to provide a means to avoid these disadvantages. According to the invention the metal cabinet including the mover of the stimulator is embedded in a plastic sheath provided with prolongations projecting laterally in opposite directions, each consisting of two strips, one of which is extendable and the other having a greater rigidity. The interconnected ends of the prolongations form points of connection for arranging the stimulator in place between a substantially stationary organ and an organ moved by the heartbeat inside the human body.

The ends of the two prolongations are fastened in the appropriate manner to the relevant internal organs.

One embodiment of the supporting ,strap according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawing, which is a perspective view of the present invention shown in place and attached to the appropriate organs within the human body.

The heart stimulator 5 is encapsulated in a support ng strap of a synthetic resin with the exception of a portion of the metal cabinet, which forms the non-active electrode of the stimulator. The strap consists Partly of an encapsulation and partly of laterally projecting prolongatrons 6, and 7, 11, also of a synthetic resin. The prolongations 6 and 7 are fairly rigid, whereas the prolongations 10 and 11 are extendable. The prolongations 6 and 10 have their free ends connected with each other; the

prolongations 7 and 11 projecting to the other side are likewise interconnected. The joined prolongations 6 and 10 form a fastening point for the stimulator and the joined prolongations 7 and 11 form a further fastening point. The latter fastening point should be connected with an organ 4, which is independent of the cardiac movements and which is stationary, whereas the other fastening point is connected at a place 2 of the cardiac muscle 1, which place moves strongly during the heart function.

The place 2 of the heart performs movements substantially horizontally from left to right parallel to the ribs during the operation of the heart.

The extensible parts 10 and 11 of the strap extend during each expansion of the heart and then bring the stimulator cabinet 5 back into the initial position so that a rotary movement is produced. The stationary organ for fastening the end 7 of the strap may be formed by a rib 4 at the level of the heart cavities. The end of the prolongation 6 is provided with a cup-shaped member 3 of a synthetic resin, which surrounds the heart-tip and may be fastened, if necessary, by a few stitches to the surface of the cardiac muscle.

The active electrode 8 of the heart stimulator 5 is located at the centre of the member 3. The electrode is connected by a wire 9 embedded in the synthetic resin with the stimulator 5 and pressed over a few millimetres into the cardiac muscle. The member 3 prevents a displacement of the electrode with respect to the heart-tip and hence damage of the muscular tissue.

It is important that the synthetic resin employed should not irritate the ambient tissue. The material has to be sufiiciently elastic to ensure that the two laterally projecting prolongations of the strap can move away from each other and back towards each other over some distance between the prolongations 6 and 10 and between the prolongations 7 and 11, so that an oscillating motion of the stimulator 5 of a few degrees, for example, 5 to 10, is effected.

The supporting strap according to the invention for a self-oscillating heart stimulator is capable of establishing a simple connection between the relevant internal body parts and provides the possibility of achieving a durable, reliable operation of the stimulator.

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting strap for an oscillating heart stimulator of the kind in which electrical pulses are produced by means of an electro-dynamic magnet system comprising an oscillating member and having a metal cabinet comprising, a sheath of plastic material for holding therein said metal cabinet, a pair of prolongations attached at one end thereof to and projecting laterally in opposite directions from said sheath, each of said prolongations comprising two strips one of which is extendable the other of which is relatively rigid, said strips interconnecting and terminating to form the other end of said prolongations, the interconnected ends of said prolongations forming fastening points, one of said points adapted to be fastened to a stationary organ and the other point adapted to be fastened to an organ moved by the heart-beat inside the human body, so that said stimulator will be arranged substantially between said organs.

2. A supporting strap as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a cup-shaped member attached to one of said fastening points, the shape of said member corresponding to the shape of the cardiac muscle.

3. A supporting strap as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sheath and said straps are made of synthetic resin material and further comprising an electrode accommodated in said cup-shaped member and a Wire embedd ed OTHER REFERENCES 2 thetfgynthefilc retsm p g electrode Wlth Myers et 211.: American Journal of Medical Electron- 6 21C 1V6 V0 age 611111118. 0 e S lmu a 01'. ics OctDec" pp.

References Cited 5 WILLIAM E. KAMM, Primary Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 45 1 7 6 2 P U.S.CI.X .R. 3, 6, 34 /19 9 K0 1 8 19( 128419;248 317 3,486,506 12/1969 Auphan 128419(P) 

